Michael Bond, the creator of beloved children's character Paddington Bear, has died at the age of 91, BBC News reports.

He died at his home on Tuesday, June 27, following a short illness, a statement from his publisher Harper Collins said.

Bond published his first book, A Bear Called Paddington, in 1958.

The character, a bear from Peru who comes to live in London, went on to inspire a series of books, an animated TV series and a successful 2014 film.

As well as Paddington, he also created characters including Olga da Polga, A Mouse Called Thursday and a French detective named Monsieur Pamplemousse.

A sequel to the Paddington film will be released later this year.

Born in Newbury in 1926, Bond began his career at the BBC and worked on Blue Peter as a cameraman.

He was inspired to create Paddington after seeing a teddy bear in a shop window on his way home from work in 1956.

More than 35 million Paddington books have been sold worldwide. The most recent, Paddington's Finest Hour, was published in April.

Charlie Redmayne, chief executive officer of HarperCollins, said he was "one of the great children's writers" who has left "one of the great literary legacies of our time".